Wednesday 22 September 2010

Leaving Paganism -and why...

For those readers who don't read Dutch, here's what I wrote earlier, almost casually, in my first blog, new style:

“...I am going to withdraw from 'organized paganism', as I no longer feel at home within that environment. I still consider myself 'pagan' (though 'pantheist' would cover it probably better) but I will leave things like pagan forums and chatrooms, pagan events and conferences and membership of pagan groups and organisations. “

I am actually taking a leaflet here from what author Anne Rice has done recently, leaving organized Christianity, though my “apostacy” will hopefully and probably cause less media coverage and buzz than hers. Here's why, though.

First and foremost it is a matter of growing beyond what paganism has to offer me. I explained some time ago that to me paganism has developped into something which one could call a foundation or the root system of a tree. Now, as important as foundations, roots and bases are, I feel I will not get anywhere -or at least be slowed down- by giving too much attention to them. In terms of my chosen motto “Ab Terra, Ad Astra”, I will not even see those Astra if I just keep digging into the Terra.

This by itself constitutes no reason at all why one would leave the organized pagan scene. Granted, my participation was not and never has been that extensive anyway, and this was by choice. Over the years I have met many great, wonderful and wise people through this colourful channel, but, unfortunately, also some dumbasses or downright nasty people that I actually don't want anywhere near me.
But recent events and incidents have convinced me that now there are considerably less commonalities with too many people within this scene, than there are differences, some of these of a rather fundamental nature.

Faced with the current state of affairs and being already more on the periphery rather than close to the core, I now deem it necessary and wise to bid this group a Hail and Farewell.
So, what's left is me, my personal beliefs and my own path which currently leads along the lines of the Western Mystery Tradition, as well as those people who are following this or a similar path. And a sense of pride that I have been able to make my own choices here, rather than continue being rocked about as if by violent waves on a foreign sea, simply out of a habit or a misplaced loyalty.

Yet life's full of choices. This was one.

No comments:

Post a Comment